How Moonshine & Bootlegging Created NASCAR

In the late 1920’s bootleggers began to modify the inner mechanics of their cars in order to outrun the police. With supercharged engines and heavy duty shocks so the cars weighty load would not sag, bootleggers started a car racing craze that took off to become what is now an American Phenomenon. When southerners began looking for entertainment in the 1930’s, they turned to their bootleggers and had them race each to find out who had the fastest car. Many of the early car racers in NASCAR were actually bootleggers racing in their actual modified moonshine race cars. These cars were designed to look like the average everyday car as to not stick out. In other words, they were stock cars. NASCAR was then established in 1948. Author Tom Wolfe turned history into legend when he wrote a story about Junior Johnson, former bootlegger and one of the first stars of NASCAR. This article for Esquire magazine was made into a movie with Jeff Bridges in 1973, The Last American Hero. NASCAR now brings in billions every year in ticket sales, merchandise and TV contracts with sometimes crowds as big as 350,000 people. NASCAR is considered to be the largest spectator sport in the United States and it’s all thanks to moonshine whiskey.

I recommend the 1967 movie Fireball 500, where Frankie Avalon is a stock car driver (I’m pretty sure they avoid the word NASCAR) forced to make moonshine runs in the deep South. Two more of the beach party movie regulars, Annette Funicello and Harvey Lembeck also figure prominently. Lembeck gets his ass handed to him on a platter in a great fight scene with Avalon.